


Never Great

by orphan_account



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Self-Esteem Issues, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26737495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: She wanted to be seen as a great trainer and have fun at the same time. The world thought otherwise.
Kudos: 3





	Never Great

She wanted to be good. She wanted to be great. She wanted to be something more than she was way back when. She had fans who cheered her on no matter how the tides turned in her battles. They loved her and she loved them back.

Then people outside of her fanbase noticed her. They praised her for the strategic moves she pulled off against seemingly undefeatable opponents. But then she stumbled and fell to their power. She was nothing compared to the big leagues.

She never would compare to them unless she changed. She had to stop relying on ambition. But she didn't. She lost fans when she lost more battles and fell in the rankings. She _had_ the spark. Why didn't she _tap into_ the spark? 

She couldn't have it. Not when she looked at her opponents. They were stronger, bigger, faster… They were everything she wasn't, and they took their fights seriously. All she had was strategy. She wanted more than that. She couldn't have it. So she decided to let go of ambition and strategy and allow fun and excitement to dominate her battles.

Even though they would never say it to her face, people bit back. They wanted to see her at her best. If she wasn't at her best, they left and sought out the better trainers, never to return to her again. To them, she had been a waste of time. But how could she be at her best when she wanted to share her experiences with everyone?

She tried to show them the meaning of fun. They kept coming. They kept watching. They kept leaving. Her opponents grew stronger as the tournament wore on. She grew weaker. She kept losing her battles and falling in the rankings. She shouldn't be having fun. She should be _dominating_ everyone. 

She tried to be better. She and her Pokémon spent hours going over new strategies. She even applied some of those strategies in her battles. Almost nothing could touch her lightning-quick Manectric or take down her monster of a Tyranitar. Some people liked what she did. Those people stayed. 

Others kept coming. They kept watching. They kept leaving. She wasn't good enough for them even with some return to form. She would never be good enough for them as long as she lacked her initial spark.

She wanted to be loved. She wanted to be someone people looked up to. She kept trying.

Things didn't change.

So she took a step back. She reflected on every one of her previous battles. She analyzed all of her decisions in minute detail. She looked to her opponents. As always, they were stronger, better, faster… Everything she wasn't and still aspired to be. But she couldn't take herself seriously. Thus she was unable to change. 

People continued to leave her. To them, she was good, but not great. Her spark, once a glorious wildfire, had died. Yet nobody cared enough to give her pointers. This was a competition. She should already know how to be the best of the best. All they wanted was to see her be the best of the best of these trainers.

She was nothing compared to them. Why was she here? She didn't belong here. Nobody wanted to see her embarrass herself and her Pokémon in front of hundreds of thousands of people.

She still stayed in the competition. She kept falling. She kept hitting the ground. She kept getting up. The cycle repeated over and over and over again.

Nobody cared about her whenever she went out there on the battlefield. She was nothing without her spark. They would _never_ love her without her spark. They didn't tolerate fun in the heat of the battle. Thus she concluded—

_She wasn't welcome here._

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot I pounded out while a little frustrated. Please let me know what you thought.


End file.
